Lauren Rose and Co. have stayed well-stretched and highly-efficient on their current five-game winning streak. (John Fisken photo)
Find a way.
Beset by illness and a schedule from Hell, the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball squad could have crumbled a long time ago.
Instead, the Wolves have embraced every obstacle and kicked off the post-Makana Stone era in style, soaring to a 9-3 record and #14 in the state’s latest RPI rankings for 1A schools.
Friday night, still firmly stuck on the road trip which will never end, the Wolves rallied late against a very tall Mount Vernon Christian team, turning a five-point deficit entering the fourth quarter into an electrifying 34-29 win.
The victory was Coupeville’s fifth straight, and leaves them 6-1 with two games left on what will be an unprecedented nine-game road trip.
The Wolves have played 10 of 12 away from Whidbey this season, but have thrived, posting an 8-2 mark outside their own gym, with their only road losses coming to 2A Blaine and 1A power Bellevue Christian.
CHS will play five of its final six, including its final four league games, at home, yet still end the regular season having played 13 of 20 on the road.
By the time they host Klahowya Jan. 24, it will have been 44 days between home games for the Wolves.
And yet, there have been virtually no complaints from coaches and players (in public at least), as they have used the uneven schedule to pull together as a team, one tightly-knit group against the world.
Along the way, Coupeville has become quite proficient at staging rallies, forcing the situation in the late going and escaping time and again with victories which provide a strong psychological boost.
“It’s all about finding a way to stay within striking distance, ramping up the defensive pressure and making the plays down the stretch to pull out the win,” said CHS coach David King.
Friday presented its own unique challenges, as Mount Vernon Christian only has one gym, meaning the varsity girls had to sit through three other games (JV boys, JV girls, varsity boys) before taking the court for a 7:45 tip.
But, while they trailed by four at the half and five after three, the Wolves didn’t seem affected by the long wait. Instead, they were right where they wanted to be, lurking and waiting to pounce.
“I could talk about the steady game play, all game long. With this being our best effort game for the full 32 minutes,” King said. “That story would be a good read.
“Or I could talk about the three or four hustle plays that energized the Coupeville cheering section and team,” he added. “These plays show how invested each player is in helping us play to win.”
Trailing 26-21 entering the final eight minutes, the Wolves unleashed a “very disruptive man press” and completely shut down the Hurricanes.
Sparked by its stand on the defensive end of the floor, Coupeville started to knock down shots, with five players combining to carry the load on a 13-3 game-ending run.
Kailey Kellner dropped in five of her team-high 10 down the stretch, while Mikayla Elfrank and Kalia Littlejohn came up huge in the spotlight.
Elfrank broke a 29-29 tie with 18 seconds to play when she drove into the key and drilled a four-foot jumper, before Littlejohn closed out the win at the free throw line, where she had ice water flowing through her veins.
The Wolves closing surge was helped out by hustle plays, and none might have been bigger than the one pulled off by sophomore Sarah Wright.
After a missed shot, the ball skipped around madly and Wright, coming from the weak side post, threw her body airborne, snagging the loose ball and throwing it back into play as she crashed along the baseline.
The play gave CHS another offensive opportunity and thoroughly deflated the Hurricanes.
From the start, the Wolves were looking up at MVC, which starts two six-footers. Coupeville countered with aggression and passion.
“The preparation and execution of our defensive game plan couldn’t have gone much better than it did,” King said. “We worked on fronting their posts and getting a heavy dose of weak side help.
“Besides the post play our guards executed their portion as well. Making it hard for a post entry pass and then giving help on the high post,” he added. “This was our best defensive game all season.”
No Hurricane topped eight points on the night.
Coupeville bounced out to a 10-8 lead after one quarter, with Lauren Rose and Kalia Littlejohn both draining long three-balls.
Elfrank and Tiffany Briscoe added buckets, with Briscoe’s set up on a nifty play from Wolf point guard Mia Littlejohn, who wrapped the ball around the defender and dropped a beautiful bounce pass right onto her teammates fingers.
The Wolves struggled a bit in the middle two quarters, when they were outscored 18-11. King liked his squad’s ball movement, but the rim was unforgiving.
Still there were major bright spots in the game’s mid-section, including a sensational play by Kalia Littlejohn.
Doing what she does, “disrupting and harassing the player she is guarding,” Littlejohn knocked the ball loose.
“It took a high bounce; what she did next was pure instinct,” King said. “Instead of trying to go up and corral the loose ball, she went up, saw a teammate out in front of her and tapped it ahead before the MVC player could get to the ball.”
Mixing big, splashy plays with small, but very important ones, Coupeville played strongly across all aspects of the game. The Wolves controlled the boards, made off with 14 steals and committed just 10 turnovers.
“We did a great job of protecting the ball,” King said. “We have been playing consistent and steady the last three games.”
With illness and the game’s non-league status, Coupeville went to the end of its bench, getting valuable floor time for all 12 girls suited up.
“And ALL 12 contributed to the win,” King said. “Kalia, Mia, both Lauren’s (Rose and Grove) and Kyla (Briscoe) played defense the right way and caused issues for MVC.
“Our posts, led by Tiffany (who had her best game of the season) and Lindsey (Roberts), along with Sarah, Allison (Wenzel) and Ema (Smith), did a fantastic job all night in the post,” he added. “Kailey and Mikayla are hybrids and brought their defensive presence in the post and on the guard play.”
Kellner, fighting through illness, paced the Wolves with 10 points and eight rebounds, while Kalia Littlejohn filled up the stat sheet with eight points, two rebounds and six steals.
Elfrank sank five points, while Mia Littlejohn (3), Rose (3), Tiffany Briscoe (3), Grove (1) and Roberts (1) also scored.
11 of 12 Wolves snagged a rebound, with Grove (6), Roberts (5) and Elfrank (4) providing support to Kellner.
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